Rocky Mountain Dirt Riders

Ynot303 wrote:

AJRJ wrote:Mitas is the new Trelleborg...

I understand this... If you read the motorace website, I believe he is taking a Mitas tire and studing it in his shop. I don't believe this to be as good as the factory "Winter Frictions".

Braap791 wrote:The price of admission is steep but the Mitas Winter Frictions are pretty sweet I got mine from Motorace and they were good to deal with. Having tried the ice screws and grip stud methods with less than desireable results. I would keep in mind that for the 1200 bucks you will get tires that will last 2-3 winter seasons unless your Jason Schrage.

I agree with this assessment. The last set of Trellies that I had were incredible both from a performance and durability perspective.

The trellies that you are used are identical in every way to the new mitas equivalent. Mitas bought trelleborg and the tires are made from the same mold as the old trellies but use NEW rubber. The trellies that you were buying back in 08-10' were already 4 years old. (Read dry and brittle)

The studding technique and equipment that motorace uses is identical to the trellies you are used too. Most people thought the the studs were molded into the trellies of days past but no, they were not. The tires were made and drilled and then studded just the same as motorace does now with the proper trumpet style stud and equivalent of loctite black or what ever glue it is that trellies used.

At 700 set usd from motorace that is like 920 cdn delivered to montana which is a waaaaay lighter bill to pay than blackfoot directs 1200 for trellies, or even more for a best grip solution at what I believe is like a $1.40 a stud plus rubber, for best grip. Mitas is a Special compound for just winter too, unlike all the regular knobbies people like to try and use for best grip solutions which are in my opinion,are way to hard when frozen and not great for winter use.

Don't buy the pro or extreme version of mitas from motorace just the regular studded version ones as they have a lighter unsprung weight and spool up faster and can allow some wheel spin which is good.

No bleeding knuckles and just buy and mount mitas from motorace is a no brainer.....

Sounds like solid advice to me.

I have a set of trellies, and some Best Grips in the drawer. Once you price new rubber and the studs, no way you could make a set for the same $$ as Trellies (I'll always call them that ).

Ride carefully on the rocks, and try to avoid bone dry frozen areas, and you'll get a lot of life. Winter riding is awesome!

This is the reply I received from Motorace when I asked them if they stud the tires in house....

We bought the technology from Trelleborg years ago and have been doing them in house for over 20 years.
Mitas tires from Motorace are not studded at the factory. Mitas jobs the studding process out to a company in Findland.
By the time they get the finished product back to the Czech Republic then ship them to the US the retail price will be around $600.00/ tire.
Thanks for your interest in the studded tires, let me know it you need anything else,
Best,
Real Messier
Customer Service

The tires from Motorace are high quality winter friction just like the old trellies. I bought a front one last year and no issues. $1200 is ridiculious. A rear M5B will take about 170 studs.

I wonder if these guys would ship to Canada...
http://www.24mx.com/michelin-ac10-21-18-winter-tyre-set
Price 314,99 € ($458.27 CAD)

Jared, I brought my Sidi crossfire 2's from a euro distributor and got hit with big duties, making them comparable to buying local.
But I did get the grey color I wanted.

Hmm. Yeah, definitely something to worry about. I have no idea where Michelin MX tires are made and I suspect that's how they set the duties.

Blackfoot Direct has a bunch of new stock for the Mitas Winter Friction Tires (formerly Trelleborg). I just bought a set last week for $1100.

Braap791 wrote:Patwill has a stud gun and does his own tires maybe he will chime in when hes back from someplace warm.

Stud gun works okay, the studs are the same as the ones in the trellies, but I don't know how to glue them in so after a few rides they bend back a bit but still work well. This year I bought the motorace ones and those studs are glued in. Also finding tires that wont crack yet hold the stud in well is tough..

I think I will try it again if I found some glue that doesn't set very fast that will bond rubber to steel!

Hey guys been a while since I have time to get on the forums. A customer told me I should check it out and chime in.

We do stock everything you guys need for winter riding at Blackfoot Direct. We have setup many RMDRA members last season and many of you have been coming in this season as well (Thanks by the way for supporting local).

I noticed many of you guys are trying to figure this out and looking to source from the US and even as far away as Europe! I know in some cases you may save around 10% but that does not include the tank of gas ($100 both ways to coutts) and a day of your life (when you can be riding, spending with family or working). I understand there are die hard Coutts mail order dudes. But for the rest of you guys keep reading.

There are currently three options out there.

1. Mitas Winter Friction $1,100 a set
2. IRC M5B Rear and Volcanduro Front with grip studs and tools "Do it Yourself Kit" $910
3. IRC M5B Rear and Volcanduro Front with grip studs pre-installed by us ready to mount $999

Few things to consider when choosing what to do. While the Mitas have a stiffer compound which lasts a little longer and pre injected studs once they are worn out the tires are rendered useless. The IRC/Grip Stud's are a little softer and work really well but also as mentioned will wear faster. The good thing is when the tires do wear out you can salvage and reuse minimum 80% of the studs into a fresh set of tires therefore reducing the long term costs.

If you guys have any questions about winter riding and tires in general please give us a call 403-214-2850 we would be more than happy to help you out in any way.

Once again thanks to all of you that have supported us over the years.

Loos like gnarly parts has grip studs now too and they are selling at 10% off this month,

Been hearing some rumblings about "grip studs" not being as high a quality as "best grip" studs. I have a feeling the "grip studs" are maybe knock offs. Can anyone provide some factual details on the difference or is it just repackaging. I have gotten 5 seasons out of my "best grip" studs I bought from crazy2wheeler.